Move Over Mary Lee: Great White Shark 'Hilton' Swims 60 Miles East of Atlantic City

By JEANNE WALL

July 24, 2017 at 7:36 AM

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'Come A Little Closer'
Hilton the Great White SharkCredits: Ocearch

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. - The bookmakers may lay down odds that Great White Shark 'Hilton' won't get too close to the shore but you may want to do your own research and education about Great White Sharks before you dip your toe in the water. You will soon realize that the water is just fine because research and education is what Hilton is really all about. Any STEM student or those interested in Marine Biology will be well served by studying Hilton and all that the researchers at OCEARCH (the scientists and researchers who are tracking Hilton) are doing.

According to their website, OCEARCH is a recognized world leader in generating critical scientific data related to tracking (telemetry) and biological studies of keystone marine species such as great white and tiger sharks, in conjunction with conservation outreach and education at a measurable global scale.

In a collaborative environment established by Founding Chairman and Expedition Leader Chris Fischer, OCEARCH shares real-time data through OCEARCH’s Global Shark Tracker, inspires current and future generations of explorers, scientists, and stewards of the ocean, and enables leading researchers and institutions to generate previously unattainable data. OCEARCH has completed 28 expeditions, worldwide, as of April 2017.

Hilton is a Great White Shark so named for the city where he was tagged. He has been swimming off the New Jersey Cost and is being tracked regularly as part of a body of research into the travels behavior and mating habits of Great White Sharks. You can gain insight into Hilton, the Carcharodon carcharias (Great White Shark) by clicking this link: http://www.ocearch.org/profile/hilton/

By way of background, Hilton is a male Great White Shark who is considered mature at nearly twelve and a half feet long. He weighs 1326 pounds and was tagged on March 3, 2017 at Hilton Head, South Carolina. According to OCEARCH, "Hilton was caught off the coast of Hilton Head, SC during the Lowcountry Expedition. Hilton was named after the local community who has graciously welcomed us. Hilton was also tagged on the anniversary of Lydia."

According to http://www.ocearch.org In 2016, OCEARCH open sourced the data on the Global Shark Tracker to 2.3 million users, achieved an annual global reach of more than 6 billion media impressions, a Facebook reach of 70 million impressions, and a Twitter reach of 134 million impressions. OCEARCH expeditions and digital outreach platforms are enabled through the support of Costa Sunglasses, YETI, Yamaha, Contender, SAFE Boats, and oneQube.

You can follow the OCEARCH tagged sharks by accessing the near-real time, free online Global Shark Tracker, by downloading the Global Shark Tracker App available for Apple and Android platforms, or by following OCEARCH on all social media platforms: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.

Science

Research expeditions are conducted aboard the M/V OCEARCH, which serves as an at-sea laboratory. The M/V OCEARCH is powered by Caterpillar engines and offers a 75,000 lb. capacity hydraulic platform designed to safely lift mature sharks out of the ocean for access by a multi-disciplined research team to conduct 12 studies in 15 minutes. OCEARCH has partnered with 157 researchers from 83 regional and international institutions.

Over 50 research papers related to OCEARCH generated data are completed or in process. Data gathered on a 2014 expedition to the Galapagos enabled the Galapagos National Park Directorate to ban Long-line fishing within the Galapagos Marine Reserve.

Education

The OCEARCH STEM Curriculum created in partnership with Landry’s, Inc. enables students to learn STEM skills while following the real-time data on the movements of their favorite sharks. The free curriculum, available for grades K-8, is based on the Global Shark Tracker and the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS).

For more information on OCEARCH, its expeditions, and the Global Shark Tracker, contact info@ocearch.org.

SOMERVILLE, NJ – A surprise engagement took center stage at last weekend’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Somerville. In the midst of the March 11 festivities, Piscataway resident Steven Verardi boarded a float and popped the question to his girlfriend Elise Latona, marking the first known engagement to take place at the parade in 27 years.

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After a couple of difficult travel days, the local airports are returning to normal. The FAA is reportin only 10 to 15 minute delays. Allow extra times for the commute to the airport and you should be fine.

Just keep these ideas and links fresh in mind for future travels. You may even want to bookmark the page for future reference.